Welcome to Week CLI of ‘Fishing Parkland Shorelines’. Like most of us I am a novice fisherman, loving to fish, but far from an expert. In the following weeks I’ll attempt to give those anglers who love to fish but just don’t have access to a boat, a look at some of the options in the Yorkton area where you can fish from shore, and hopefully catch some fish.
I’ve always respected those who put honest effort into sharing the passions in their lives with others through online blogs.
Writing is not easy, especially the effort required to regularly sit down and write something on a regular basis on a single topic. That is something I know firsthand. I have written a weekly column on agriculture (see elsewhere this issue) for more than 26 years now. That means coming up with something on topic which can be spun into 500-600 words, week-in and week-out. That is 26,000-plus words a year, and as the years roll by the word count grows, and grows, and still you need to find a new column every seven days.
Now online bloggers may not face the pressure of a repeating deadline each week, but they still have to keep blogs fresh so that readers will continue to drop in and read.
So when I come across something like ‘Rushing Waters’ (http://rushingwaters-sean.blogspot.com) I respect the effort greatly.
In this case Sean Hansen is the man behind the blog.
“I decided to launch the blog after my first season of guiding in Montana,” he said via email. “This was back around 2011. It was really just a way for me to share some of my experiences and knowledge with my clients from guiding and anyone else willing to read my jibberish.”
Advertising might seem to be the reason for a guide to blog, but Hansen sees it as having a greater role.
“My goal for Rushing Waters is to expose more people to what fishing opportunities are out there,” he said. “I also use the blog and the corresponding Facebook page (search Rushing Waters) to show off my and client catches as well as my flies.”
So I asked Hansen if he thought blogs are a growing alternative for fisherman to learn tricks, share stories and generally interact?
“Absolutely,” he said. “A few years back message boards were huge but there were too many mean spirited people and what I like to call “Internet Pros’. Blogs weed those out. With blogs you have individuals, or groups of people freely sharing their knowledge. It is by far a friendlier way of knowledge sharing.”
The blog is also a way to get immediate feedback from readers too, creating dialogue between writer and reader.
“Most of the feedback has been about my flies which is very gratifying to know I am coming up with some cool designs,” said Hansen.
For Hansen the blog is just a new facet of something which he has long enjoyed — fishing.
“I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember,” he said. “My pops got me going, and around eight or nine my uncle got me into fly fishing.
“I’ve been obsessed since then and still try to get out with my dad a few times a year.
“My two favourite places are the Driftless Area of Wisconsin and Montana Bob Marshall Wilderness.
“I grew up in Wisconsin and have been fishing the Driftless for years. The area was untouched by the last ice age and because of that there is a lot of elevation change and the area has one of the highest density and numbers of spring creeks in the world. It just so happens that these creeks are full of wild brook and brown trout.
“The Bob as those who have been there call it is the second largest wilderness in the lower 48 (states). It takes about two days by horse to get to the South Fork of the Flathead River.”
In terms of favoured fish, Hansen picks a pair of species which are significantly different from each other.
“Bull trout and musky,” he said. “Locally here in the midwest musky are definitely my favourite for the last few years. They’re big, tough, and require a bit of work to catch. It’s very satisfying once you get one and provides a great rush.
“When I was young Montana Bulls were my favoruite. Unfortunately most times we couldn’t target them which was part of the draw. You just would happen to get one now and then.
“However in the Bob for part of the year you can target them. I was fortunate enough to guide KY Walsh the owner of Simms in the Bob and he caught a few Bulls on my flies.”
If you are interested in more of Hansen’s tales, make sure you search out his blog. It’s a definite good late night read.
